Tag: vegan

Top Gluten-Free Eating Spots in New York City

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We spent a brilliant few days soaking up the sights and culinary delights of New York in May. The amount of walking we did over the four days definitely balances out all the cake and pizza, right!?

Virgin Atlantic

We headed to New York on a direct flight from Manchester, UK. We notified Virgin Atlantic of my coeliac needs n advance and was given a gluten-free meal as a result – chicken tikka masala, side salad, fruit pot, Nairn’s crackers, cheese and a gluten-free bread cake. Unfortunately they weren’t able to accommodate for gluten-free and lactose-free travellers. If you have multiple dietary requirements I’d recommend taking your own food on board with you to avoid disappointment.

Places to eat lunch in NYC

Twenty One Grains – Diamond District, Manhattan

With so many sights to see, I wanted a casual takeout lunch to eat on the go. Twentyonegrains is a chain with lots of gluten-free lunch-on-the-go options including salads, bowls and wraps.

Tap NYC – Upper West Side & Midtown East

Gluten-free Brazilian chain offering sandwiches, açai bowls, smoothies and my favourite Brazilian soda Guarana.

Modern Bread and Bagel – Upper West Side

When in New York it feels obligatory to have a bagel, and thankfully Modern Bread and Bagel sells freshly baked gluten-free bagels. I took my salmon and vegan cream cheese bagel to go and devour in Central Park.

Gluten-free Bakeries in NYC

By The Way Bakery – Upper West Side, Manhattan

By The Way Bakery is a gluten-free and dairy-free bakery in New York. I was impressed by the variety of options they had, with plenty of cakes, biscuits and brownies on offer.

Posh Pop Bakeshop – Greenwich Village

Oh my goodness! Posh Pop Bakeshop is absolute gluten-free heaven! Cakes, cookies, doughnuts, brownies, pies and everything in between. If you have a sweet tooth, this may well be the best gluten-free bakeshop I’ve ever been to. They had plenty of dairy-free options too. The products here are not cheap, but worth every cent in my opinion.

Erin McKenna’s Bakery – Lower East Side, Manhattan

Totally vegan and gluten-free, I didn’t get chance to visit Erin McKenna’s but heard good things.

No Glu – Manhattan

No Glu is another popular gluten-free bakery and cafe in Manhattan. I didn’t get chance to try here.

Sixteen Mill Bakery – Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s vegan and gluten-free bakery. Another bakery I didn’t get chance to try.

Everybody Eats – Brooklyn

Everybody Eats in Brooklyn bakes gluten-free, nut free, soy free, and sesame free bread. It looks delicious.

Gluten-free Dinner in NYC

Friedman’s – Multiple locations including Herald Square and Hell’s Kitchen

After landing in NYC we wanted somewhere nearby to have dinner before calling it a night. Friedman’s was perfect, with loads of gluten-free options and singing waiters too. I hear they do a mean breakfast.

TLK by Tiger Lily Kitchen – Noho, Manhattan

I loved TLK so much I visited twice. Their menu is totally gluten-free, with lots of Asian-inspired dishes. We shared lots of different options as we couldn’t decide from the menu. The menu is veggie friendly too.

Rubirosa Pizza – Lower Manhattan

I really wanted a New York pizza, but being lactose intolerant at the time made it slightly tricky as vegan cheese didn’t seem to be easily available in many restaurants. Rubirosa Pizza served me a gorgeous gluten-free pizza – no cheese, just veggies which admittedly I was a little dubious about at first, but it really did not disappoint!

Nami Nori – West Village

Nami Nori provides freshly made gluten-free sushi, served like mini tacos. We ate at the bar watching the chefs whip up our order.

Bar Verde – Noho, Manhattan

Wow! We discovered Bar Verde on our final night and it has to be my favourite place we ate. The menu is entirely gluten-free and vegan! Who knew vegan food could taste this good?! It was genuinely the best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever visited, and my meat loving, gluten guzzling husband said the same.

Wild – West Village

We sat outside in the sunshine enjoying a gluten-free vegan pizza at Wild. The menu is pretty international and is completely gluten-free.

Senza Gluten – Greenwich Village

A dedicated gluten-free Italian restaurant. I didn’t get chance to visit but the reviews look great.

Risotteria Melotti – Noho, Manhattan

If you’re after a risotto, Risotteria Melotti is the place to go. It is completely gluten-free. We didn’t get around to trying this restaurant, but it was recommended by other coeliacs.

Antidote – Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A Chinese restaurant offering gluten-free options. This is not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. We didn’t get chance to visit here as we spent most of our time in the Manhattan area.

Claro – Brooklyn

100% gluten-free Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn. We didn’t get chance to stop by here.

Springy Burger and Fries – Financial District, Manhattan

Gluten-free, no seed oils and 100% grass-fed beef. Springy sells gluten-free burgers and fries for takeout only.

Overall verdict

Overall rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

New York City is an absolute haven for coeliacs. You name the cuisine, there will likely be gluten-free restaurants offering exactly what you want. It was incredibly relaxing to be in a city where I had so much choice and felt coeliac disease was truly catered for. We really were spoilt for choice, and the only problem was having the time to fit everywhere in.

Coeliac friendly

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Everywhere we went coeliac disease was well-understood and the amount of dedicated gluten-free eateries available is testament to that.

Safety

Rating: 5 out of 5.

All the restaurant staff I spoke too completely understood the need to avoid cross-contamination and I had no problems during my trip.

Best Gluten-Free Options in Prague: A Foodie’s Trip

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I spent a week in a sunny Prague over the summer. Staying in an apartment meant that I prepared some meals at home, but I wasn’t short of delicious gluten-free options when eating out.

Restaurants

Alriso

A dedicated gluten-free Italian restaurant situated in a tucked away square, offering the perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by. I really enjoyed it here so visited twice. I had some gorgeous gluten-free and lactose-free bread and oil, steak, and risotto over my two visits.

Bassotto

Fancy a pizza? Bassotto is 100% gluten-free and they offer vegan cheese too! This restaurant is nestled away so you may not notice it walking by. I watched the chef freshly make my margherita pizza, and it was as good as it looks. Bassotto offers the option to takeaway or eat in, and also had a selection of gluten-free and some dairy-free sweet treats.

My Raw Cafe

As a coeliac I often find myself at vegan restaurants like My Raw Cafe. As an avid meat and gluten-eater before my diagnosis, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to get a table here in the past, but boy would I have been missing out. I went for the full three courses and did not regret a single bite. This was without a doubt my favourite meal of the trip – 100% gluten-free, raw and vegan!

Restaurace u Agamy

Restaurace u Agamy is a dedicated gluten-free restaurant offering local cuisine. It looked absolutely gorgeous, but visiting in the 35 degree heat of the summer, I didn’t much feel like eating a warm hearty meal like this. If I were to travel back in cooler temperatures, I’d be sure to pay a visit here.

Hard Rock Cafe

Always a winner, you can find Hard Rock Cafe in the heart of the city. As a Coeliac UK approved restaurant chain, you can rest assured the menu will cater for coeliacs and gluten-free diners.

Bakeries

Babiccina Spiz

I didn’t get chance to visit but Babiccina Spiz is a popular and well-reviewed gluten-free bakery.

Buchta Cukrarstvi

Another gluten-free bakery in Prague offering breads and sweet treats. I didn’t visit here, but the photos look awesome.

Svet Bez Lepku

Yet another gluten-free bakery which I didn’t have time to visit. You’re spoilt for choice!

Supermarkets

Albert

I found an Albert supermarket closely to my apartment, and there are stores dotted around the city. They had a dedicated gluten-free section in the stores I visited, filled with lots of local and international gluten-free brands such as Schar. Local brand Nature’s Promise, also seemed to offer lots of gluten-free products including oats and biscuits. I was also lactose intolerant during this trip and they had plenty of lactose-free options including yoghurts and chocolate.

Useful words and phrases

English

Gluten-free

Gluten

Milk

Czech

Bez Lepek

Lepek

Mleko

Overall verdict

Overall rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get my hands on gluten-free food in Prague. There were plenty of options both in terms of dedicated gluten-free eateries and clearly marked gluten-free products in stores.

Coeliac friendly

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I felt that coeliac disease and allergies were both generally understood and treated seriously in the places I visited.

Safety

Rating: 5 out of 5.

All the places I visited understood the need to avoid cross-contamination and with lots of dedicated restaurants and bakeries. As a result I felt really safe in the restaurants I ate in.

Frankfurt: A Gluten-Free Guide

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I found Frankfurt a really tricky city to navigate on a gluten-free diet. After doing lots of research before my visit I found very few restaurants with good reviews from gluten-free diners and the coeliac community (those I sourced mainly came from Find Me Gluten Free). I emailed plenty of restaurants to see if they offered gluten-free options and to enquire if they were able to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen. Unfortunately the answer I came up against on numerous occasions was a ‘no’ on both accounts.

If you’re travelling to Frankfurt and need to avoid gluten, I’d recommend doing some research beforehand, contacting restaurants ahead of time, and as always, travelling prepared with gluten-free snacks if possible. Whilst eating gluten-free was a challenge in Frankfurt, it certainly isn’t impossible. In this posts I’ve included some of the best gluten-free eateries I found.

Lua Cuisine

Update October 2024

Lua Cuisine is a gorgeous Vietnamese restaurant where the food just so happens to be gluten-free….win-win! The menu had plenty of options for starter, main and dessert and had lots of vegetarian and vegan options too. I went for crispy duck with passion fruit dressing, accompanied with pak choi and shiitake mushrooms.

Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie

Wow! Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie had it all. A dedicated gluten-free bakery offering gluten-free macaroons, cakes, breads, brownies, biscuits, chocolate and so much more. They also offered plenty of vegan options too. I tried the gluten-free brownie, white chocolate cheesecake and blackberry mousse tart – all were incredible.

Vevay

Update October 2024 – Unfortunately Vevay has closed since writing this post in 2023.

Vevay is a vegetarian restaurant offering plenty of clearly marked gluten-free and vegan options. I had the sweet potato fries with guacamole plus the mango rice noodle bowl with lots of colourful veggies. Super tasty and healthy food options. Their gluten-free desserts including the creme brûlée looked delicious but unfortunately I didn’t have room after my feast. I’d recommend booking a table here as it gets busy.

mango rice noodle bowl from Vevay vegetarian restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany

EatDoori Deli

This one was well-recommended on Find My Gluten Free so I thought I’d give it a go. They are a small shopping centre food outlet offering various curry bowls. I was assured that all of the options (apart from the breads of course) were gluten-free. I went for the chicken tikka curry bowl pictured below.

chicken tikka curry bowl from EatDoori Deli in Frankfurt, Germany

Glutenfreie Kaffeebar by Alex

So disappointed I didn’t make it here as it looks awesome. Glutenfreie Kaffeebar by Alex is a dedicated gluten-free cafe in Frankfurt and well recommended by coeliacs.

Supermarkets

Rewe

I shopped at a few Rewe stores across the city and each had a small gluten-free offering gluten-free breads, pastas, crackers, cookies, chocolate and waffles.

DM

DM is a healthstore with a small health foods section where I found gluten-free wraps, pretzels, breads, biscuits and pastas. There were plenty of DMs dotted around the city so you’ll never be too far from one of these stores.

Gluten-free German Vocabulary

Whilst plenty of people spoke excellent English, I found it helpful to learn a few words and phrases, particularly when looking at the lists of ingredients on supermarket food items.

English

I am coeliac

I can’t eat gluten

Cross-contamination

Gluten-free

Wheat

Barley

Rye

German

Ich bin Zöliakie

Ich kann kein gluten essen

Kreuzkontamination

Glutenfrei

Weizen

Gerste

Roggen

Overall verdict

Overall rating

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I’m giving Frankfurt two stars simply because during my time there I found few eateries which offered gluten-free options and where I felt confident that cross-contamination was avoided. Overall it didn’t seem commonplace to mark items as gluten-free on menus, and staff didn’t seem too aware of the importance of gluten-free foods.

Coeliac friendly

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Coeliac disease didn’t seem widely understood and few restaurants I encountered were aware of or able to offer gluten-free options. When asking about cross-contamination, many said they did not take measures such as using separate fryers or chopping boards etc to avoid cross-contamination.

Safety

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The places where I did eat I felt were safe in offering gluten-free options and avoiding cross contamination. As always, I have only included places where I have had positive experiences.